ting her hang herself, without the least attempt to prevent it, has been often and justly ridiculed; but what signify faults, where there are such excessive beauties? Pray write soon, and let me know, if you have read more of these plays, what you think of them.

If you do not go to Dublin before my brother returns, you had better commission somebody to call at the Royal Hospital, for some books of which Mrs. H. Fox took the charge for you, but which, as she writes, she does not know where to send. I think my brother's return a very bad symptom of the intentions of government with regard to poor Ireland; but that is a subject as fruitful, though not so pleasant, as that of Euripides. Your's, ever most truly,

St. Anne's Hill, Friday.

C. J. FOX.

P. S. When you have read the two farewell speeches of Medea and Alcestis to their children, I do not think you will say that Electra's is quite unrivalled, though most excellent undoubtedly it is.

MY DEAR SIR,

It gives Mrs. F. and me great pleasure to hear that you think you are getting better, and that, too, in spite of the weather, which if it has been with you as with us, has been by no means favourable to such a complaint as your's. The sooner you can come the better; and I cannot help hoping that this air will do you good. Parts of the 1st, and still more of the 2nd book of the Eneid, are capital indeed; the description of the night sack of a town, being a subject not touched by Homer, hinders it from having that appearance of too close imitation which Virgil's other battles have; and the details, Priam's death, Helen's appearance, Hector's in the dream, and many others, are enchanting. The proëm, too, to Eneas's narration is perfection itself. The part about Sinon and Laocoon does not so much please me, though I have nothing to say against it. Perhaps it is too long, but whatever be the cause, I feel it to be rather cold. As to your friend's heresy, I cannot much wonder

VOL. I.

3 T

at, or blame it, since I used to be of the same opinion myself; but I am now a convert; and my chief reason is, that, though the detached parts of the Eneid appear to me to be equal to any thing, the story and characters appear more faulty every time I read it. My chief objection (I mean that to the character of Eneas) is, of course, not so much felt in the three first books; but, afterwards, he is always either insipid or odious, sometimes excites interest against him, and never for him.

The events of the war, too, are not striking; and Pallas and Lausus, who most interest you, are in effect exactly alike. But, in parts, I admire Virgil more and more every day, such as those I have alluded to in the 2nd book; the finding of Andromache in the third, every thing relating to Dido; the 6th book; the visit to Evander, in the 8th; Nisus and Euryalus, Mezentius's death, and many others. In point of passion I think Dido equal, if not superior, to any thing in Homer, or Shakspeare, or Euripides; for me, that is saying every thing.

One thing which delights me in the Iliad and Odyssey, and of which there is nothing in Virgil, is the picture of manners, which seem to be so truly delineated. The times in which Homer lived undoubtedly gave him a great advantage in this respect; since, from his nearness to the times of which he writes, what we always see to be invention in Virgil, appears like the plain truth in Homer. Upon this principle, a friend of mine observed, that the characters in Shakspeare's historical plays always appear more real than those of his others. But exclusive of this advantage, Homer certainly attends to character more than his imitator. I hope your friend, with all his partiality, will not maintain that the simile in the first Eneid, comparing Dido to Diana, is equal to that in the Odyssey, comparing Narcissa to her, either in propriety of application, or in beauty of description. If there is an Appollonius Rhodius where you are, pray look at Medea's speech, lib. iv. v. 365, and you will perceive, that even in Dido's finest speech, nec tibi diva parens, &c. he has imitated a good deal, and especially those expressive and sudden turns, neque te teneo, &c. but then he has made wonderful improvements, and, on the whole, it is, perhaps, the finest thing in all poetry.

Now if you are not tired of all this criticism, it is not my

fault.

Your's, very affectionately,

C. J. FOX.

St. Anne's Hill, Wednesday.

P. S. Even in the 1st book, Eneas says, " Sum pius Eneas, fama super athera notus." Can you bear this?

LIST OF AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS

The following list of American newspapers, is taken from Mellish's Travels, where it appears as an extract from Thomas's History of printing in America.

Isaiah Thomas, Esq. of Worcester, Massachusetts, has lately published a very valuable work entitled, The History of Printing in America, from which I have extracted the following table:

By this table, it appears that the number of newspapers amounts to twenty-two million two hundred twenty-two thousand two hundred; and Mr. Thomas says it may be viewed as considerably under the real number. The total amount, he thinks, may, without exaggeration, be estimated at twentytwo million five hundred thousand. In Britain and Ireland the newspaper es-. tablishments amount to two hundred twenty-eight; and the whole of the public journals issued annually from the various presses are computed at twenty million five hundred thousand.

The state of literature in a country may be partly inferred from the quantity of paper manufactured. Mr. Thomas says, "from the information I have collected, it appears that the mills for manufacturing paper are as follows:-

From Dr. Mitchell's report, the numbers appear to be 190.

The paper manufactured annually at these mills is estimated as follows;

CALAMITIES OF AUTHORS.-FOR THE PORT FOLIO.

ONE might imagine that the fate of authors was really pitiable. Dr. Tissot has written a learned and melancholy volume on the diseases incident to men of letters, and D'Israeli has lately completed the picture by two volumes on the moral calamities of authors. In describing the misfortunes of his brethren, the man of letters has, however, the advantage over the physician. D'Israeli, we believe, enjoys a happy mediocrity of fortune, and being himself exempt from most of the calamities which he enumerates, he has enlivened his descriptions by a variety of a literary anecdotes, and minute details of character, many of which are quite original. Without attempting any analysis of its contents, we shall extract some interesting passages.

On the subject of "literary property," we have the following curious facts: